2005-07-22 - Lust

The Seven Deadly Sins Series, Part 2

While all sins have been with us since the Fall, one of the most prevalent
ones in American society is lust. People have destroyed families, wrecked
careers and even taken lives because of lust. All you have to do is look
at a TV listing to see how obsessed we are, as a society, with lust. We lust
after sex, power, possessions, and other things.

The premises of some television shows and movies revolve around lust. Modern
advertising attempts to lure potential customers into lusting after their
products, from beer to shoes (ouch!) to sports cars. They try to make us
believe their products will make us happy, sexy, popular, beautiful or what
have you.

Lust enslaves all genres of people, from the mighty politician to your neighbor,
from the wealthy to the poverty-stricken ampehtamine addict - to you, to
me. Lust is an equal opportunity captor. In fact, if you think you are immune
to it, that's just when you should start to worry. It's dangerous, immature,
naive, unwise and you are kidding yourself, if you think "It can't happen
to me."

As God's word says "If you think you stand, beware, lest you fall."

Studies - and stories of those who have experience - have show that lust
is addictive in character. If one watches pornography, eventually it will
take stronger and stronger porn to stimulate. The late actor Bob Crane is
a sad example. He became addicted to sex, and got deeper and deeper into
the underworld. But he didn't just wake up and think "I'm going to go deep
into the dark side of the porn industry and get involved with dangerous
characters, one of whom will eventually kill me." Just like others don't
think "I'm going to spend time with this person instead of my spouse, and
begin to love her or him more." As with most addictions, lust works gradually
and with almost indiscernible increments. That's one reason it's so deadly.
It's like the old "frog in a boiling pot" analogy. The frog doesn't notice
that the deadly water is turned up gradually, and before he knows it, it's
too late.

Be careful what you listen to, careful what you watch or read, careful whom
you spend time with. It can happen to you. Pray for God's guidance and protection
in this area.